The Ohio State Buckeyes are on an off week, but there are still a few notable games that could impact their CFP aspirations. There will be two top-11 matchups on Saturday, and both will somehow impact the Buckeyes.
The first, and most important, one is at noon. This will be Oklahoma vs. Texas. Technically, it’ll be the No. 6 team in the nation against the No. 11. However, it’s increasingly important because of OU’s schedule.
Oklahoma, a one-loss team in 2018, was selected over Ohio State although their only notable victory was against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. They lost this mid-season matchup last year.
That said, if they included a one-loss OU team, you can only imagine how quickly they’d include an undefeated one. Currently, this will be their only top-20 matchup of the season.
Ohio State, on the end, has two top-10 and three top-15 matchups still to be played.
Although this season it’s hopeful that the committee may view their resumes differently, the Buckeyes, to gain breathing room over one Power 5 opponent, need OU to lose.
Sam Ehlinger and Texas are no joke.
They easily could’ve taken down No. 5 LSU earlier this season. A one-loss Texas team that beats OU twice and has only lost to SEC powerhouse LSU would easily be in CFP consideration.
This is their Super Bowl. They need this victory to keep relevance in the Big 12.
For both teams, this is a huge game. Although No. 5 LSU and No. 7 Florida will also match up later in the day, it’s this game that could potentially knock the Big 12 out of a playoff spot.
One of LSU or Florida will be a one-loss team after today. However, both have a resume and rest of the year that will equate to or prove that they belong in the CFP. This is the Sooners only real competition. They need this one.
A one-loss Buckeyes team is better than a one-loss Sooners team.
They need OU to somehow lose arguably their only difficult matchup. That said, all Buckeyes’ fans need to be watching this game as both teams will be fighting for their season.
